The present invention generally relates to a display rack for dispensing packaged items and, more particularly, to a theft-resistant display rack which receives varying sizes of magazines containing a vertical stack of packaged items interchangeably within columns therein. The display rack includes a novel guard lock design which minimizes pilfering of the packaged items when the dispensing rack is not in use.
In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the consumption of packaged candy bars, as well as packaged coated peanut and chocolate candy. A consumer frequently buys confectionery products as a snack for after a meal, such as at a cafeteria or restaurant check-out line. The most often used method by which a cafeteria or restaurant will sell these confectionery products to the public is by displaying these products often in simple racks or in open boxes. These methods of display obviously allow for easy pilfering of the products. In addition, these methods have the apparent disadvantage that an adequate inventory of a product at the end of the business day cannot be easily ascertained.
The prior simple display racks used for such items generally only retain one size of vertically stacked products, such as cigarettes. This type of display rack precluded different sized products from being dispensed. In addition, such simple display racks failed to provide for any measure of inventory control. For effectiveness, it is necessary that a display rack containing packaged items, such as packaged candy bars and packages containing coated peanut and chocolate candy, provide for the retention of different sized magazines containing the vertically stacked packaged items as the size of each package varies. Therefore, a display rack must be designed in such a way that varying sizes of the magazines may be inserted and retained interchangeably within the columns of the display rack.
The hallmark of a cafeteria is the rapid serving of food products to customers along the cafeteria line. Of great importance, therefore, is that delays associated with the cafeteria line be avoided. As a result, a display rack to be used in conjunction with a cafeteria line must provide for the rapid dispensing of the products housed therein as well as easy accessibility to the leading packaged item to be dispensed.